When I undertook this unusual event, I was aware that I would be busy with it for weeks. I planned it very carefully with seven key objectives in mind:

Win Win - I wanted each event participant to benefit, not only me.

Interaction - I wanted to interact with each participant and start or nurture relationships. Community engagement is always a challenge.

Meeting People - I wanted to expand my network and connect with new people.

Collaboration - I wanted to share my expertise and influence. I believed that a good number of participants would want to do the same. Collaboration is a primary theme for me in 2010.

Branding - I wanted to demonstrate that I could conceptualize and implement a creative and meaningful social media event as part of my overall walking the walk strategy.

Leverage - In 2009 I reached out to many people. I wanted to do something that would include them and permit them to support me.

Momentum - After a slow 2009 holiday season, I wanted to build new momentum. Last year’s momentum was sustained by the articles I wrote and the growth of my network. This year’s momentum will be sustained by community-oriented projects as well.

The initial reaction to my event on Facebook, Twitter and blogs has been very encouraging.

Tom Woolf, author of The PRagmatist, was enthusiastic: “I want to give Larry Brauner a nod for trying a different kind of social media experiment.”

Rachel McAlpine in Contented Blog said “How quickly the shiny- new Facebook became boring-boring same-old same-old. I’m happy to say that Larry’s virtual party has already seeded my brain with other social marketing ideas.”

If you could Diggthis article and share it with acquaintances in the media, you’d be doing me an enormous favor.

Before I go, I must not forget to mention that there will be door prizes. The prizes and the winners will be announced some time after the completion of the event. Also, in case you’re new here and wondering, subscribing and commenting are the accepted norms.

Hey Larry, Brilliant idea! I guess when they say we get better with age it must be true… cause you have come up with a winner of a promo. I’m going to check my date book and see if I can make it to the party. Thanks for the invite. jj

Larry, this came up in my Twitter feed, so it certainly is going viral. Well done, it’s a great way to get connections and showcase your skill as a Social Networker.

But is the situation totally win-win? I’m all about making effective connections over raw numbers and I explain it in more detail on my blog as people tend to get caught up in the whirlwind of social networking numbers and lose sight of the overall goal, which is generating business!

I look at their page, not as a social networker, but as a blogger and web marketer. If I can make a simple suggestion that might help, I’ll make it.

Assuming that their site is fair to good, I’ll share and bookmark it for them.

They get to look around and find people they want to meet. They can approach them with comments, rather than private messages, which is less invasive.

There are clearly potential benefits to them: learning something new and meeting people who interest them.

I read your article, and there’s a fine point I need to share with you about this event.

I organized this event because I’m in marketing and public relations. If I were an accountant, I’d organize a completely different kind of event that would attract people looking for financial services.

The people I invited were in my target audience. If I were an accountant, they would be too. They’d just be different people!

I’m all for targeting. My Twitter and Facebook are both targeted. And if I were an accountant or lawyer, they would be just as targeted, because they wouldn’t be the people I’m reaching out to now; they’d be different ones.

Thanks for taking the time out to look at my blog, always enjoy the interaction from people in the industry.

I also appreciate the clarification. We’ve encountered so many small businesses who look at raw numbers as being the solution to all their marketing problems, so hopefully you’ll understand why I’m a little bit wary.

I’ve bookmarked your blog and will be following it up to see how the event turns out.

[…] on my Facebook page celebrating my birthday back in January was a successful networking event that went viral and attracted hundreds. Many people made important new connections during the January networking […]

[…] Media Party, took place January 2010 on my Facebook page in celebration of my 58th birthday. This Facebook event went viral and attracted well over 300 participants. As a result, I added many new fans and generated a […]